


The Jewel Thief Caper

by Iwaseatingthosebeans



Category: Carmen Sandiego (Cartoon 2019)
Genre: F/F, Fluff and some Angst later, I Will Go Down With This Ship, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I'm Bad At Tagging, My First Work in This Fandom, Shipping
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-31
Updated: 2020-04-04
Packaged: 2021-02-23 04:27:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23405740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iwaseatingthosebeans/pseuds/Iwaseatingthosebeans
Summary: Set after the Interactive Game (to steal or not to steal).For the first time, Carmen Sandiego has lost a battle to V.I.L.E., allowing them to secure a bag of valuable jewels and bring it back to the island she swore never to return to.With her favourite A.C.M.E. agent, Jules Argent, they must figure out their next move.
Relationships: Julia "Jules" Argent/Carmen Sandiego | Black Sheep
Comments: 23
Kudos: 99





	1. Chapter 1

“Zack and Ivy went out to get breakfast.”

Julia almost jumped out of her skin. Carmen Sandiego stood behind her, coat and all, her signature scarlet fedora in one hand. Julia's face warmed as she remembered cosplaying with the attire in front of the mirror, similarly to a child obsessing over their favourite television character. All she could say was that clearly, Carmen suited the vibrant colour much better.  
“Oh, – yes. Okay,” Julia shoved away the memory, cheeks flaming. “That is -good, this could give us time to organise a plan.” She fixed her rounded glasses, composing herself. “So, did you sleep well?”  
“Very.” Carmen looked amused, tucking a strand of reddish-brown hair behind her ear.  
“So, um, how do you wish to discuss this? Chase and I usually...” her voice faltered.   
Carmen eyed Julia curiously. “Where _is_ your partner? Devineax? I’m surprised he hasn’t shown up to arrest me yet.”  
“He was given leave.” Julia glanced down at the tiled floor of her apartment. “After the kidnapping incident.”  
The vermilion woman's brow furrowed. “Has he recovered?”  
“I’m not sure,” Julia replied truthfully. “I haven’t had the chance to see him since.”  
“I’m sorry, Jules. He must have meant a great deal to you." Carmen took a step closer. "I know your colleagues don’t trust me, but I promise that I had nothing to do with the abduction.”  
“I know.” Julia’s mouth curved up, despite the worry knotting in her chest. Her heartbeat quickened as Carmen's breath ghosted her face. “I always believed you were on our side.”  
“Well, you are more perceptive than any other A.C.M.E. member I've met,” she murmured. Carmen's gaze locked with hers, clear grey eyes thoughtful, not sharp as they typically were. “So, is Devineax merely your work partner? Or something more?”  
Julia’s skin prickled in discomfort. So many people had asked that question, despite them only working together for a brief period of time. Carmen herself had asked one similar on the train, the time they had met. She took a step back, looking away.  
“He was just my business partner.” _I don't know what he is to me now.  
  
_ The thief nodded, slipping her hat onto her head. “You can talk to me anytime you need, Jules." She hesitated before snatching a pen and a slip of paper from her coat and scribbling a series of numbers. "I can't give you my phone number in case someone uses it to track me, but here's if you need Player. He can get you through to anyone." She handed the paper to Julia. "Now. Let’s return some stolen gems, shall we?”   
“Of course." Julia gave her a grateful nod and tucked the paper away. "Where should we begin? I was considering using one of the A.C.M.E. tablets to access possible flight paths V.I.L.E. may be using to transport the jewels.”  
“No need, already got it covered.” Carmen pulled out a device from her pocket.   
_There are certainly a lot of things in that coat,_ Julia countered. Predominantly tools and weapons, from what she'd discovered whilst wearing it.   
“Player’s onto it.” Carmen's voice cut into her thoughts. She frowned. “However, I’m surprised V.I.L.E. has stooped to petty theft. Their plans are usually more…grand.”  
“That is true. However, the jewels were certainly worth a great deal of money.”  
“You know, if they really _did_ want to become ‘jule’ thieves, they should have stolen you.” Carmen's right eyebrow quirked playfully.  
“You do have a wit about you, Miss Sandiego,” Julia replied, unable to suppress a smile. “But perhaps you should save it for when we face V.I.L.E.  
“Wit alone didn't give me a place to sleep.” Carmen’s expression softened. “Thank you for letting my crew and I stay here. After they attacked our home-”  
Her pocket buzzed, and she slid out the phone again.  
“Hey, Red!” A youthful voice greeted from the other end of the line. “I’ve traced the gems’ flight path. They just left from Paris an hour ago, and they’re headed to V.I.L.E. Island.”  
“Already?” Carmen raised an eyebrow. “That was fast.”  
“Yeah. They didn’t have far to go after we lost the fight with them." He didn't mention the sabotage of Carmen's home while she was away fighting. "Unless you’re able to catch a plane, you’re going to have to go to the island to save them.” The voice was apologetic.  
Carmen chewed her lip. Julia had never seen her so conflicted. She could almost hear the thoughts sounding in the thief’s mind. _Were the jewels really worth it?  
  
_ “I’m never going back to the island.”  
Julia blinked. “You want to abandon the mission?”  
Carmen didn't reply, and Julia knew the answer.  
“I know where the island is, from what you’ve shown me. Perhaps I could go alone.”  
Carmen spun around, eyes stormy. “No. You have no idea what they’re capable of.  
“But V.I.L.E. also does not know what A.C.M.E. is capable of.”  
“A.C.M.E. is no match for them.”  
“Perhaps you are mistaken-”  
“I grew up with them. I know them better than anyone.” Carmen’s voice broke, face haunted. She was losing control. Something Julia had never seen before.  
“That may be the reason why you are so afraid, because of your history with them.”  
“I have every right to be afraid. They are vicious, relentless criminal masterminds, Julia. They will capture and use you.”  
Julia flinched. Carmen used the same dismissive tone, the one that Chase often had. The one that gave away exactly what they thought of her ability.  
“You said I was the most capable A.C.M.E. agent you'd met,” she responded, voice quavering. Taking a deep breath, she lifted her chin. “I may not be experienced, or able to face all of V.I.L.E. at once, but together with A.C.M.E., I will figure out another way to get in. It is my duty and I not give up on the mission.”  
“Jules, please. No.”  
At her pleading expression and those damned grey eyes, Julia’s resolve almost melted. But she averted her gaze from the taller woman, clenching her fists.  
“Goodbye, Carmen Sandiego.”  
“Then you give me no choice.” The statement was quiet, and it registered too late. Julia spun around to Carmen holding her tranquilizer gun, a grim determination on her face.  
 _Of course, she’s a master pickpocket. In all her charm, she managed to make me forget that,_ she silently grumbled as she heard the puff of gas. The world rocking, Julia fell into warm arms as darkness clouded her vision.


	2. Chapter 2

Julia groaned and rolled over. Drowsiness seeped through her bones. Sitting up, clutched her head.  
 _What?_  
She cracked open an eye and winced as she was blinded by the light streaming in.  
Fingers curling into a plush material, Julia realised that she was in her bed. She attempted to clamber out, but in her groggy state, fell back, sighing. What kind of agent was defeated by a mattress? She picked up a faint scent in the air, seemingly emitting from her pillow. It wasn't unpleasant, but almost familiar. Like flowers imbued with a touch of smoke. She inhaled deeper. Like – Julia jerked back, and toppled off the mattress, falling in a heap on the ground.  
Like Carmen Sandiego.  
She’d slept there last night, in Julia’s bed. Jules had insisted she did. But there was no sign of the quick-witted thief now.  
Julia searched the bedside table. And where had she put her glasses?  
Squinting, her gaze snagged onto the thin black metal. As she snatched them up, Julia noticed a sheet of paper beneath them. In Carmen’s artfully curly handwriting, there was a message.

  
_Jules,_   
_Hope you’re well rested._   
_Thank you for your hospitality._   
_\- CS_   
_x_

  
Julia’s eyes lingered on the ‘x’ longer than she liked to admit before she flipped the note over. Blank. Nothing about V.I.L.E. or any evidence on their previous dispute. Pocketing it, she headed out of the bedroom.  
The apartment was like Sandiego had never been there. Other than her smell that was making it difficult for Julia to think straight. She scoffed at the bizarre thought. Think straight. Like that would ever happen.  
She tried to turn the doorknob on her front door. It didn’t budge. Locked. Dread weighing in her stomach, she tried the window next. Also locked. Not that she’d jump down three storeys, anyway. Perhaps Sandiego forgot she wasn’t a master thief.  
She searched for the key.  
Unsurprisingly, swiped by Carmen.  
She searched for the spare key.  
How did La Femme Rouge find her spare key?  
“Carmen Sandiego!” Julia shouted to nobody. “I let you stay here, and you have the nerve to lock me in my own apartment?”  
She stared out the window, shoving her hands in her pockets crossly. Something pricked at her skin, and she pulled out a piece of paper.  
Player’s number.  
Julia blinked. Did she have her phone?  
Searching her bag, it didn’t seem like it, but she did find something else.  
She picked out the pen.  
She had Chief.

Turning to the mirror in the corner, a smile crept up her face. Julia gave herself finger guns. They had looked much less awkward in her mind.Clicking the top of the pen, Julia dropped it onto the floor. Chief’s hologram materialised, face as its usual inscrutable mask.  
“What do you need, Agent Argent?”  
“I’m unable to leave my apartment,” Julia admitted.  
“And how did this happen?”  
“Carmen Sandiego locked me in. She… stayed over.”  
Chief raised an eyebrow. “What you do in your spare time is really none of my business so long as it’s legal, but I must say, Argent, you do have quite a bold taste in women.”  
Julia’s eyes widened. “No, no- that’s not-”  
“I’m just saying that I don’t trust your girlfriend. Especially when she’s locking you in apartments. So, my advice is not to get too intimate yet.”  
Julia thought she might actually be the same colour as Carmen’s hat right now.  
“We’ll there to get you out in fifteen minutes.” Chief disappeared.  
As if on cue, she heard the front door squeal before an orange- headed girl sauntered in, followed by a boy with similar features. Julia just stared at them.  
“Oh, hey Julia!” Zack grinned.  
“Thanks for letting us crash here.” Ivy dropped a paper bag onto the counter. “Bought you a muffin, if you want it.”  
“How did you get in?” Julia spluttered.  
“Uh, the key?” Ivy frowned at her. “How else?”  
Julia blinked. “You took my keys?”  
“What? No! I'm not the professional thief in our group. I mean, obviously I'm better than Zack but still, Carm had them. Met us at the café, said to bring you some food. And a hot chocolate.” Ivy shot her brother a dirty look. “Unfortunately, the drink didn’t make it.”  
The cogs in Julia’s brain were overheating from all this new information. Hunger aside, she addressed the question gnawing at her the most. “Where _is_ Carmen Sandiego?”

  
“I’m here.” The thief stepped out from the doorway, striking as ever with her red clothes and charming smirk. She swept the room and her smile faded as she caught Julia’s glare. “Hope you can forgive me for knocking you out, Jules.”  
Julia held her stare. Part of her was suspicious, and the other still stung with betrayal. Carmen had always been on her side, even when the agent did not reciprocate the sentiment. This was the first time it had ever been any different. Although, with this in mind, she let out a sigh. _Perhaps I should give her a chance._  
“And for locking me in my own apartment,” Julia reminded her.  
“I’m sorry, but I couldn’t let you inform A.C.M.E. about this. I needed to talk to you properly, and to be honest, you were hard to stop verbally. I want us to be on the same side, Jules.”  
“Why shouldn’t I alert A.C.M.E.? Surely they’d be of valuable help.”  
“No. I will not let them have evidence on V.I.L.E., or to know where the island is. Not yet." Julia saw her swallow, seeming uncomfortable. "Can I trust you to know something?”  
Julia hesitated momentarily. They’d given each other the benefit of the doubt time and time again, put their jobs, millions, maybe billions of dollars on the line by reaching out to each other. There was no reason why this should be any different. She nodded.  
“Your boss. The head of A.C.M.E.?”  
“Yes?”  
“She killed my father.”  
Any words Julia had planned to say evaporated. Shock about Chief was also irrelevant. She just stared at Carmen. The thief, always so charming, beautiful, _untouchable_ , stood there, vulnerable. And something clicked in Julia’s mind. Under all the bravado, under that coat and her tools, she was just another young woman. They were probably even the same age.  
“What? _She_ killed your dad? She’s the reason you wound up in crime school?” Ivy’s outraged cry broke the silence. “Oh, don’t you worry, Carm, we’re going to make that murderous old crow pay-”  
“I’m still trying to decide if I want to,” Carmen frowned. “But I don’t want to help her, either. Not yet, maybe not ever.”  
A bang on the door shattered the conversation, as well as Julia’s eardrums.

  
“Argent? Are you in here, Agent Argent?”  
Julia leapt to her feet. “Oh dear, I forgot that I asked A.C.M.E. to help get me out of here.”  
“You were able to contact A.C.M.E.?”  
“Yes, I had my pen. It may be best if you stay out of sight.” Julia nudged her in the direction of the bedroom. She knew Carmen was more than capable of taking care of herself, but after what she’d just been told, and what she’d seen, she didn’t want to risk her having to face Chief.” Go, hide in my room..”  
Carmen frowned but disappeared before Julia could say anything else.  
“I’m here.” Julia swung the door open. Agent Zari stood alone, a lock pick in one hand. “Thank you for coming, my apologies, I found a spare key- um, under a cup. Sorry, Agent.”  
Zari narrowed her cool green eyes, unconvinced, and clearly unimpressed. She handed the pick to Julia.  
“In case you lose your key again,” she remarked before turning and striding away.

  
Julia closed the door and studied the pick. Perhaps Carmen could use this, though, no doubt she would have her own.  
She passed Zack and Ivy, crouching behind her couch.  
“Carmen Sandiego in the bedroom?”  
They gave her a synchronised shrug. The response wasn’t helpful, but again, Sandiego wasn’t the easiest person to keep tabs on.“Carmen?” She stepped into her closet. “Hey, are you in here?”  
“Hey Jules,” a cool voice spoke from behind her. “Coming out of the closet anytime soon?”  
Julia turned to see a coatless Carmen sitting on her bed, smirking. She observed the coat and fedora sitting neatly on the floor.  
“I was just going to tell _you_ it was safe to come out,” she replied carefully, stepping forward.  
“Oh, I was never really in there. I suppose I just never announced being out, either.”  
“Well, you must’ve been in at some point, judging from your keen sense of fashion.”  
“I’ve never seen a reason to hide in the closet.” Carmen’s clear grey eyes were soft as good quality Camembert. Strange comparison, but Julia did love a good French cheese.  
“We’re not talking about literal closets anymore, are we?” Julia swallowed.  
“Were we ever?” Julia realised that her fingers were entwined with Carmen’s. Subtle. _How does she do that?_ She pulled the agent down onto the mattress beside her. They were so close now, their shoulders touched. Julia’s mind was blank, ears ringing, but strangely, gazing at the other woman, her heartbeat remained a steady thump.  
“I’m not going to let V.I.L.E. get their clutches on you, Jules,” Carmen breathed. “You’re too good.”  
“So, what should we do?” Julia’s eyes trailed down to her lips, red as the rest of her, and just as enticing.  
“Hey, Carmen! Shadowsa-” Zack’s head popped in, his voice cut off as a pale hand clamped over his mouth.  
“ _Zack_ , you absolute bee brain!” Ivy’s voice raged. “You don’t barge in like that!”  
She pushed the door open, looking defeated. “Anyway, sorry, you two. Shadowsan’s just arrived and naturally, he wants to talk to you, Carm.”


	3. Chapter 3

Had Julia been carrying her tranquilizer gun at seeing the middle-aged man, she most likely would have sedated him out of alarm, if not anger at his bad timing.  
At seeing his sour face, she let out a strangled cry, staggering back. However, police training had taught her to control the majority of her fear. 

“You kidnapped Agent Devineax!” she accused. Not taking her eyes off him, she nudged Carmen. “This man has committed serious offences. Where did you leave my handcuffs?”  
Hey.” Carmen lay a hand on her shoulder, sending a jolt of warmth through her. “Jules, it’s all good. Ill-tempered as he may be, Shadowsan’s on our side.”  
“Wow, Carmen.” Julia glanced away from the ninja long enough to see Ivy give her an impish grin. “I mean, handcuffs? I take it things are escalating pretty fast.”  
Ignoring Ivy’s input, the man stepped forward, and despite Carmen’s words of reassurance, Julia couldn’t help stiffening.  
“It was not my intention to harm your agent.” His voice was as low and expressionless as his face. “I was merely trying to stay in character until it was the right time to strike. My main priority was to assist in Carmen Sandiego’s escape.”  
“You left him in a coma. I don’t even know if he has recovered.” Julia took in a deep breath. “How about your other partner? The woman? Is she also here?”  
Impossibly, Shadowsan’s face darkened further.  
“No. She is actually a part of V.I.L.E.” He turned to Carmen. “I take it that she is on our side?”  
“Seeing as we’re standing in her home, and she’s getting snuggly with Boss, I say she’s pretty safe,” Ivy interjected, reminding Julia of the irony that everyone here had managed to make it in and out of her home this morning except for her.  
Shadowsan seemed to have fixed on a different part of the message, however, as his critical coal stare raked over Julia, pausing on her shoulder, where Carmen’s hand lay. He huffed out a disapproving grunt.  
  
“So what’s the plan, Shadownsan?” Zack swallowed the last of what Julia presumed was the muffin they’d bought for her.  
“V.I.L.E. has been tracking you,” he responded. “It is how they managed to find the house, and how they didn’t fall for the decoy.”  
“What? How did they track us?” Carmen’s hand slipped from Julia’s shoulder, her expression turning exasperated. “You didn’t think to tell us this earlier?”  
He opened a calloused hand to reveal a shape of what appeared to be some type of glittering rock. It was rather beautiful. Julia had never seen anything like it. “During your one of your previous fights, V.I.L.E. may have slipped at least one of these onto you. They could be hiding in any crevice in your clothing or stuck somewhere in your baggage. They are excellent protective cases for trackers. Waterproof, virtually indestructible and extremely hard to detect.”  
“That looks like-” Zack peered at the tiny stone.  
“The gems V.I.L.E. managed to swipe! They’re using them as trackers?” Ivy picked it up. "What a waste of a good gem." The stone glittered. “Is this little thing tracking us now?”  
“Of course not,” Shadowsan scorned. “I would not have brought it back, otherwise. It is merely a tracker case. A V.I.L.E. operative dropped it whilst trying to slip another into my coat. V.I.L.E. has been able to follow me for a long time now, despite my specialty in stealth, and I could not determine why until I found one of these in my coat pocket yesterday. The tracker I found was smaller than this – perhaps half the size.”

“I suppose the coat wasn’t completely empty, then.” Carmen quirked an eyebrow. “So, I take it we need to strip any non-essential items and leave this place as soon as possible.” She glanced at Julia, kicking off her shoes. “You’re not safe either, if V.I.L.E. decides to track us here.”  
Shadowsan gave an affirmative nod. “Yes. You are also in danger.”  
 _It's fortunate that V.I.L.E. didn’t decide to attack us last night.  
_ “I’m very sorry, Jules.” Carmen frowned. “I didn’t mean to endanger you like this. Do you think A.C.M.E. will be able to provide you a temporary accommodation? Or…if you wanted to, you could always come with us.”  
Julia pushed down the anxiety knotting in her chest, and lifted her chin. “I’m on your side, Carmen Sandiego. We need to take back the jewels they stole.”  
The look on her face made Julia wish even further that they were still in her bedroom.

The crew decided the best move was to borrow some of Julia’s clothes, as they’d never been exposed to V.I.L.E.’s trackers in the same way theirs had. Unfortunately, all of them were much taller than the agent.  
“I’m honestly disappointed, Jules,” Carmen remarked as she rifled through the closet. “No jackets in red? I suppose we can make this shirt work.” She attempted to pull it down over her midriff. Julia tried not to stare, with little success.  
“How are you so _tiny?!”_ Zack’s voice yelped from the kitchen.  
“I could give him a dress? They’re certainly bigger than the shirts.” Julia pulled one out. The black one. Her favourite. She jumped as she felt a hand on hers.  
“Let me just say, you rocked that dress at the dinner party more than anyone.”  
Jules flushed at the memory. “No more closet jokes?”  
“Oh, I’ve got plenty to spare. But I didn’t pursue you early because of the opportunity to make closet jokes.”  
Julia turned to face Carmen. That damned perfect face, and those _eyes_. Was the air getting warmer?  
“It’s no secret how I feel about you-” a smile tugged at Carmen's lips, “or how you feel about me, but I want to remind you, my life is risky, Jules, no matter how skilled I become at my job. Your life, would probably be much safer if I wasn’t in it. So, I'm going to ask you,” she took a step back. “Did you want to start something with me?”

 _She strides in here with her flawless smile, wearing my shirt and being lesbian Princess Charming, asking if I want to be part of her thrilling life, battling evil and saving historical artefacts?  
_ All too eagerly, Julia moved forward, closing the distance between them. Her mouth found Carmen’s just as she bowled the taller woman over, both of them giggling as they crashed into a wall of hangars and Julia's business jackets.  
It had all looked so much more romantic in Julia’s head, but she didn’t care as Carmen kissed her under the pile of clothes, the faint smell of smoke and roses clouding her mind, the warmth of the thief’s body under hers, tangling her fingers in soft russet hair.  
Finally giving in to her screaming lungs, Julia pulled away, panting. “I’ve never done that before.”  
Carmen gazed back at her, eyes half-lidded. “Neither have I. Never had the opportunity. It was probably a pretty amateur experience then,” she grinned.  
“Oh, no. It was wonderful,” Julia whispered.  
“I am not sure now is the time to be doing this,” a voice grunted behind them.  
Julia's eyes widened and she scrambled off Carmen, flinging a few jackets onto the floor in the process. She spun around to see Shadowsan staring at her as if he’d just swallowed a particularly sour lemon.  
“Uh, sorry. Yes, you’re right.”  
“We’re waiting for you so we can leave.” He turned his stare to Carmen. “We will have to discuss a few ground rules if you’re going to continue to become distracted by this...agent.”


	4. Chapter 4

“Aw, we just got a HQ, too,” Zack mumbled as he slouched on the hotel’s couch, looking extremely uncomfortable in Jules’s jacket.  
“I guess Carmen Sandiego’s never-ending tour really _isn't_ ending,” Ivy sighed.  
“Hey guys, it isn’t _all_ bad,” Carmen tried to cheer them up. “For one, we get to have midnight room service again.”  
She glanced over at Shadowsan. Though hardly the most expressive person, it was clear he wasn’t impressed with the tight new clothes and lack of a home base, either. Carmen sensed that not even room service would to cut it for him.  
She found her gaze drifting across to Jules, perched awkwardly on a chair. Shadowsan had stubbornly seated himself between them on the car ride here. Carmen didn’t know what his problem was, but seeing the unease on her new partner’s face, they’d need to have that talk he’d mentioned earlier.  
Later.  
For now, …  
“Hey Jules, you haven’t eaten yet, have you?”  
“No… I suppose I haven’t had the chance.” She replied, pushing her glasses back onto her freckled nose. From the corner of her eye, Zack looked sheepish.  
“Well, that’s the first order of the day then,” Carmen grinned, picking up the phone. "What do you fancy?"  
“We need to organise a plan to retrieve the gems.” Shadowsan finally spoke. He gave Carmen a side glare. “ _Without_ distractions.”  
“Perfect.” Carmen narrowed her eyes back at him. “Good thing we have an expert planner in our midst, right, Jules?”  
Her eyes rounded. “Well, planning is not my expertise, but I suppose I could be of some assistance.”  
Carmen winked, and Jules ducked her head as red blossomed across her face.  
 _Ah, there’s my favourite colour._ The thief found it strangely endearing how easily she was to fluster.  
“Well, with my favourite A.C.M.E. agent, four thieves and our skilled hacker friend, we should be able to pull this off no problem. The objective is to take the jewels back. Destroy the trackers.” She tugged on the hem of her shirt. “And to find some bigger clothes.” She smirked. “Preferably in red, of course.”

While Jules was eating her toast and Zack and Ivy were bickering over which kind of pizza to order, (Carmen had sided with Zack on this one - Hawaiian was clearly the superior option), Carmen slipped outside the room. She didn’t need to look behind her to know that Shadowsan had followed.  
“What’s your problem?” Carmen turned to glower at him. “Is it because she’s a girl?”  
Shadowsan’s frown deepened. “I do not care in the least that she is a girl.” Carmen hadn’t really suspected him to be homophobic, but his response still sent a trickle of relief through her. Though she prided herself in her ability to read people, understanding Shadowsan was about as easy as drowning a fish. “But she is a distraction,” he continued. “If not for her, we would most likely already have already made a plan.”  
“Jules is an extraordinarily observant, perceptive agent helping us to fight V.I.L.E. She even let us stay at her place when we didn’t have anywhere else to go. If anything, she’s a great benefit to our team.” Carmen crossed her arms. “If that really _is_ your issue.”  
“She is also a part of A.C.M.E. Did you not tell me that she betrayed you? That she was the reason you nearly froze to death?”  
“She didn’t mean for that to happen,” Carmen argued. “I know Jules. She wouldn’t betray me. I trust her.” She tucked a stray hair behind her ear before adding more quietly, “I like her.”  
“Such sentiment makes one blind,” Shadowsan grumbled. “But I can tell that you will not listen to me.”  
“When it comes to distrusting Jules? No. But I do appreciate your concern.” A small smile tugged at her lips. “She’s more sensible than Zack, Ivy and I combined. I’d have thought you’d be glad about someone who wasn’t a ‘child’ joining our crew.”  
Shadowsan simply grunted. Carmen decided to take it as a positive response.  
“Speaking of children, does Player know how to hack into the tracking devices?”  
“I’ve never seen a piece of technology he can’t get into,” Carmen replied, ignoring the jab at her friend’s age. She took out her phone. “But we may not have enough information at hand to give him.” She dialled.  
“What do you need, Red?” his cheerful voice rang out from the phone.  
“Player,” she acknowledged. “I wanted to ask if you could figure something out.”

“So you think V.I.L.E.’s using their own Satellite system to work the trackers?”  
“Yes, something like that. I’m not able to block them. They'll have to be disabled from somewhere inside V.I.L.E. Sorry, Red.”  
“Right, then.” The tightness in her throat – she knew it was what other people described as fear. Having to think on her feet all her life, being raised on an island for thieves and the professors always having her back meant it was unfamiliar. Unnatural.  
Swallowing, Carmen squared her shoulders. This needed to be done. “We’ll need to hitch a ride to V.I.L.E. island on a mode of transport already set to go there, as to not arouse suspicion.”  
“The closest V.I.L.E. operative to France that I’ve picked up on is sent to land in Poitiers in around two hours,” Player frowned. “That’s right near you!”  
“Are you able to access their objective?”  
“Hmm, I don’t know. They’re getting harder to intercept. Either they’re following the trackers…or they’ve come for something else entirely.”

“Or both.”

Jules had poked her head out from the door, a few stray toast crumbs attempting to blend in with her freckles. “If they’d simply wanted to capture us, why wouldn’t they have tried last night, when they had the chance? However, I cannot think of anything they would want to steal in Poitiers, and I can presume that we are not the only targets that are being tracked.”  
“What exactly are you suggesting?” Shadowsan inquired.  
“I think they may be tracking Agent Devineax.”  
“And why would they do that? They have already found that he knows minimal about us.”  
“Maybe they’re simply taking precautions. After all, V.I.L.E. always has a smokescreen.” Carmen reminded.  
“I have known V.I.L.E. far longer than you have, Carmen Sandiego. But I do not think that this is a move they would make.”  
“Well – whatever they’re doing, we’ll just need to be extra careful.”

The crew dropped into the nearest clothing store to grab something comfortable to fight in. Carmen picked up a scarlet hoodie. This should do. Now she just needed to find some class of shirt…  
“I hope you’re not planning on stealing that.”  
Jules stood behind her, hands on her hips, her pale face unnaturally stern.  
“Well, seeing as I’m pretty much broke_”  
The agent snatched the hoodie from her, marching to the counter before proceeding to hand the cashier fifty-nine dollars. She then came back, handing Carmen the purchased good.  
“Well, thank you. I haven’t quite finished, though…”  
“As part of my job, there’s only one thing I’m entitled to let you steal.”  
Carmen raised an eyebrow. “And what is that?”  
Jules’s mouth twitched into a smile. “My heart.”

“Right, the V.I.L.E. operative has just landed. They’re near to the Pont Achard train terminal.”  
“Thanks, Player. Just driving there now.” Carmen slid her hands into her pockets. She’d only taken a few of her tools with her – ones that she was sure did not carry a tiny tracker, and to be truly honest, she felt a little exposed without her trench coat. She could only hope that once they had disabled the trackers, she could retrieve her coat from Jules's apartment afterwards. If she made it out.  
Seemed like she was going to have no glider on this mission.  
"Well, apparently to Agent Devineax, you do seem to get into many conflicts via train." Jules gave her a sly grin. "And, not to be too sentimental, but I do remember our first encounter fondly."  
 _No glider, but Jules is worth more than a hundred gliders.  
_ She slipped her hand into the agent's nimble fingers.   
"I regret not having the chance to ask you out for a drink, but I hope passing you the Magna Carta made up for it."  
 _"_ Oh, trust me, the chance to lay my eyes on such an important artefact was more than adequate. As I've told you, I do love history." Jules moved closer to her, dark eyes sparkling behind her frames. "Although, I must say, those flowers after the caviar incident were also rather lovely."  
Carmen smiled.  
 _We can do this._

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, I am an inexperienced writer, so any constructive criticism is welcome and greatly appreciated! Thanks! Hope you enjoy! :)


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